Level 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
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AfterFamco Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Bethesda: What to Know First
Famco chimney liner and rebuild work in Bethesda typically runs $1,800 to $4,600 depending on whether you need a liner replacement alone or a partial rebuild of the flue structure above the roofline. Most Famco liner jobs are completed in one day; a rebuild that includes masonry work usually takes two to three days. We quote a firm price before any tool comes off the truck, so the number you hear on the phone is the number on the invoice.
This page is for homeowners in Bethesda whose chimney was built or lined with Famco components and who want straight answers about repair versus replacement. If you’re noticing odors, flaking tile fragments in the firebox, or draft problems that got worse over one winter, you’re in the right place. Call (240) 618-3233 and Wendell Pike or one of his crew will talk you through what you’re seeing before anyone schedules a visit.
How Famco Products Fail - and How We Fix Them
- Famco clay flue liner spalling in older Bethesda colonials. The original Famco terra cotta liners installed in 1960s and 70s brick chimneys near Kenwood and Edgemoor are now showing their age. Freeze-thaw cycles work water into hairline cracks, and the liner face starts shedding thin flakes into the smoke shelf. We see this on at least a third of the pre-1980 chimneys we inspect. Fix: a stainless steel liner dropped inside the existing flue, insulated where code requires, sized to the appliance rather than the old clay dimensions.
- Famco flexible stainless liner kinking at the smoke shelf offset. Famco’s flexible liner kits, especially the earlier single-ply versions, tend to develop a hard crease where the liner makes the transition from vertical flue through the smoke shelf and into the thimble. That kink catches creosote the way a gutter catches leaves, and within two burning seasons you’ve got a restriction. We correct the geometry when we install, using a smooth-wall rigid connector through the offset and a proper support plate at the top.
- Famco top plate and cap corrosion on salt-air and acid-condensate exposures. The galvanized top plates in older Famco reline kits corrode faster than the liner itself, especially on chimneys serving oil-fired appliances where the exhaust carries sulfuric acid condensate. What starts as a rusty drip stain on the crown becomes a loose plate letting rain straight down the flue. Fix: a stainless replacement plate and cap, properly caulked and mechanically fastened, not just set in place.
- Famco multi-flue caps with cracked screening. Famco’s multi-flue caps do a decent job for the first decade, but the expanded metal screening is the first thing to go. Birds peck at it, ice pulls it loose, and once there’s a hole, you’ve got nesting material and the chimney fire risk that comes with it. We replace with a heavier-gauge screen and inspect the underlying flue tile while we’re up there.
- Famco anchor plate loosening on masonry chimneys. The cast anchor plates Famco supplies with their rigid liner systems rely on the top few courses of brick for stability. On Bethesda homes where the crown has already spalled or the top courses have opened up, that plate moves. The liner flexes with it, and the joints start separating. We rebuild the top courses and pour a proper crown before we set the new anchor, so the plate isn’t asking the chimney to do a job the brick can’t do anymore.
Our Famco Chimney Liner & Rebuild Process
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Call and conversation. You reach a live person at (240) 618-3233. We ask what you’re seeing, what the chimney serves, and when you first noticed it. If it sounds like something that can wait, we’ll say so.
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On-site inspection and camera run. Wendell or one of his crew arrives at the scheduled time, in uniform, and runs a camera through the flue. You watch the footage with us on the spot. No mystery, no “trust me” verdicts.
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Plain-English findings and a firm quote. We tell you exactly what the camera shows, what needs doing now, and what can wait. The price we quote is the price you pay. If the flue is fine and you just need a sweep, that’s what we’ll tell you.
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Parts decision. If the job calls for a Famco liner or component, we use genuine Famco parts where they’re still available and the right call. Where an aftermarket part from DuraFlex, HeatShield, or Gelco is genuinely better for the application, we’ll say so and tell you why. We never substitute to save ourselves a trip to the supply house.
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The work. Liner installs are usually same-day. Rebuilds take longer because real masonry has to cure. We keep the work area covered, run a magnet for dropped fasteners, and don’t leave until the flue drafts correctly and holds a pressure test where applicable.
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Photo report and the 90-Day Done Right Promise. You get photos of the finished job and our written guarantee: if it’s not done right, one call brings us back at no charge. That’s stamped on every invoice, not buried in fine print.
What Famco Chimney Liner & Rebuild Costs in Bethesda
Straight numbers, because that’s what most people actually want to know. For a single-flue stainless liner install in a typical Bethesda two-story colonial, you’re generally looking at $1,800 to $3,200, depending on flue height and access. A liner replacement with a new top plate and cap runs $2,400 to $3,800. A partial rebuild (top courses, crown, and liner reset) lands between $3,500 and $4,600. A full chimney rebuild from the roofline up starts around $6,000 and goes from there based on brick match and height.
What moves the price: flue height, roof pitch and access, whether the old clay liner has to be broken out, and whether matching brick is available for the exterior courses. We price all of it before work starts. Call (240) 618-3233 for a free estimate, and we’ll give you a number you can actually plan around.
Why Bethesda Homeowners Call Top Hat Chimney for Famco Work
Wendell Pike started Top Hat Chimney in 1999, and he’s been on more Bethesda rooftops than he can honestly count, especially the older homes near Kenwood and Battery Park where the chimneys are original and the owners have been burned by national outfits before. We’re owner-operated, not a franchise that rotated in last spring. Wendell puts his name and license number on the work, and he runs into you again at the hardware store on Saturday. If the flue is fine and you just need a sweep, that’s what he’ll say. If it doesn’t need doing, he’ll tell you.
We install and service Famco components alongside trusted names like DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco, so we’re not married to one manufacturer’s catalog. We recommend what fits your chimney and your appliance, not what’s left on the truck. Every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. Seniors and veterans always get 10% off. And a live person answers the phone around the clock, because a chimney problem at 11 p.m. in January shouldn’t wait for a callback that never comes.
FAQs
Yes. Every Famco liner install and rebuild we do in Bethesda is covered by our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If the work isn’t right, one call brings us back at no additional cost. Manufacturer warranties on Famco parts apply separately and we’ll walk you through what’s covered and for how long before you spend a dollar. Call (240) 618-3233 and we’ll explain what applies to your specific setup.
Famco components are still available for many applications, and we use genuine Famco parts where they’re the right call and still in production. Where Famco has discontinued a specific component or where a newer part from DuraFlex, HeatShield, or Gelco outperforms the original, we’ll tell you plainly and give you the choice before we order anything. You’re never guessing what went into your chimney.
You don’t have to guess. We run a camera through the flue and you watch the footage with us. Hairline cracks and minor spalling can sometimes be addressed without a full replacement. A collapsed section, a separated joint, or heavy third-degree creosote glazing that has compromised the liner means replacement. The camera tells the story, and we follow it. Call (240) 618-3233 to schedule an inspection.
Most single-flue liner replacements are done in one day from setup to final pressure test. Partial rebuilds take two to three days because masonry has to cure before the liner is secured and the cap is set. We’ll give you a firm schedule at the quote, and we’ll call if anything slips, which it rarely does.
No. We’re an independent Famco service provider. We install and service Famco products alongside other major brands, and we’re not bound by a manufacturer’s sales quotas or parts restrictions. That means we recommend what actually works for your chimney, not what a corporate agreement tells us to push.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner, Top Hat Chimney at Top Hat Chimney, serving Bethesda and nearby areas.